5 Ingredients or Fewer

Crispy Kale

January 26, 2021
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0 Ratings
Photo by alliemarie
  • Prep time 5 minutes
  • Cook time 30 minutes
  • Serves 2
Author Notes

After many shimmies and shifts, I finally found the perfect crispy kale recipe. This is inspired by the crispy kale from Heidi Swanson's noodle bowl, Einat Admony's superb snack & many others whose temp and timing I attempted before discovering what worked best for me. Keep in mind: this dish seems sensitive to certain ovens and kitchens, so you'll likely have to do the same until you find what's right for your space.

We cook this again and again, as a crunchy vegetable side to chicken shawarma and rice pilaf, as a sprinkling on a sweet potato and ground lamb bowl, or even alongside fried eggs and toast. The seasoning you can use is as variable as your taste, but some suggestions listed below.

To cook a larger quantity (say, a whole bunch or multiple bunches), prepare two baking sheets and place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. Spread kale across both sheets & rotate halfway through cooking. In determining the best quantity, size up - the kale shrinks considerably and you'll find yourself and your loved ones snacking on them before they even make it on the plate. —alliemarie

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Ingredients
  • 2 cups curly kale (about 1/2 bunch), ribs & stems removed, cleaned and thoroughly dried, leaves torn into small pieces
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon zaatar (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
  • black pepper (optional)
  • red pepper flake (optional)
Directions
  1. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 435˚.
  2. Arrange kale on sheet, drizzle with olive oil and scrunch leaves with your hands to get each leaf coated and to soften the leaves. Sprinkle salt and seasoning of your choice and scrunch again to get seasoning across the leaves (you can also do this in a bowl for better results, but I most often use this lazy method).
  3. Bake about 20-30 minutes, watching that the leaves don't burn. Halfway through cooking, toss leaves around pan with tongs. If kale is burning, turn the oven down slightly. If they aren't crisping, turn up 5 or 10˚. Serve hot.

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